By Jackie Saffir/Daily News correspondent
GHS
WALTHAM —
The struggles of Iraqi refugees displaced by war and sectarian violence will hit close to home Monday during a screening of a new documentary.
Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will present her film, “Iraq: The Lost Generation,” at the Landmark Embassy Cinema on Pine Street.
Obaid-Chinoy, a graduate of Smith College and native of Pakistan, has received several international honors, including an Overseas Press Club Award and American Women in Radio and Film Award.
Her documentaries cover a wide range of issues and places, including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia. She hopes that this film will allow Americans to see stories she says are not covered by the mainstream press.
“‘The Lost Generation’ came about because, for a long time, I had been hearing about what had been happening in Iraq, but rarely did I get a picture of who the Iraqis were,” she said. “I always thought Iraqis were just numbers I read about in headlines. But who were the people behind those numbers? What were their lives like? What were their families like?”
In addition to trying to answer these questions, Obaid-Chinoy said her film will allow viewers to see a part of the world many Americans have never seen before.
The event is sponsored by Primary Source, a Watertown nonprofit with the goal of improving students’ understanding of the world by educating their teachers.
Julie Newport, the Primary Source director of communications, says the event was planned to “connect the general public with stories about world history and culture that are not told very often.” She hopes that this will give the community the opportunity to talk to someone who has been to that part of the world and met Iraqi refugees.
Following the film, Primary Source will be hosting a reception at Solea on Moody Street, to allow for casual discussion over tapas and sangria and provide an opportunity to meet the director.
Obaid-Chinoy hopes viewers will see that Iraqis are not different than Americans.
“I would like people to see Iraqis as people with families and lives that are similar to ours,” she said. “I’d like to humanize their problems.
“Iraqis are just like you and I, but the war has torn the social fabric of that society. It will impact a young generation that may never recover.”
The event will be held Monday, Nov. 3, 6:30 p.m., at Landmark Embassy Cinema of Waltham. The movie is 50 minutes. Tickets cost $15 for the film and $40 for the film and reception and must be purchased in advance online at http://primarysource.kintera.org/iraqfilm.
Smith grad’s documentary on Iraq focuses on the ordinary people affected by war
INTERVIEW. A native of Pakistan and a graduate of Smith College, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is an award-winning journalist who has made 13 documentary films. Her latest film, “Iraq: The Lost Generation,” examines the plight of Iraqi refugees displaced due to war. She will screen the film Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Waltham’s Embassy Cinemas.
What message do you want to deliver with this film?
I want people to see Iraqis as people, not just numbers behind headlines. Usually when people in this part of the world think of Iraq they think about the headlines but they never get to know who the people are.
How much of a crisis is the situation surrounding Iraqi refugees?
We’re talking about 4 million people who have been driven from their homes. This is a country that had a functioning society. It had a middle class, schools, colleges, universities, doctors and lawyers despite the politics of Saddam Hussein. And the social fabric of the country has absolutely been torn. These are educated people who don’t know how to survive in war because they’ve never had to face that reality before.
Is there a common thread in the people you have profiled worldwide that transcends the distance between them?
My films are not about the government or prime ministers or presidents. They’re about what happens to the people of a country when a government makes a certain policy or when war is forced upon them. That’s what binds them, whether I am in Canada filming the Aboriginal community or in Syria filming Iraqi refugees. Ordinary people very often don’t get the chance to tell their stories. I myself have learned so much from their resiliency and their courage. I think the world should get the same chance.
On a recent Saturday evening West Chelsea’s Gana Art Gallery hosted a most powerful documentary on the plight of children in Iraq. Entitled Iraq The Lost Generation, theevent is to benefit the non-profitMedecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders. Journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s The Lost Generation, currently being screened across the country from New York to San Francisco, is a riveting look at the results of war on the citizens of Iraq and in particular its children. Many casualties are children who are victims of bombings, instances with machetes and the like. The event which was sponsored by Zyr Vodka, Jo Malone, and Vai Restaurant was hosted by Justin Parks, Founder of the SCOTT PARKS ORGANIZATION, who came across the film this past summer and was drawn to share the film with others “In August I attended a screening at the New School. I was shocked and deeply saddened by the Iraqirefugee medial crisis, in particular the children that have been injured in the bombings that have to wait for reconstructive treatments. I felt compelled to sponsor a benefit screening so we could send funds to accelerate the heroic efforts of MSF.”
The Film
Beginning with the stories of Iraqi refugees *** who migrated to Syria and Jordan, Ms. Obaid Chinoy provides a first-hand account of their struggles. Ms. Obaid-Chinoy speaks first with adults–mostly middle class families whose head of households are much like those in the US. One man owns a mobile phone store, another a father of five owns several barber shops, and yet another holds a government position working with the US and the British as a translator. In each instance there is a current inability to work as they are now all refugees in new lands.
The erosion of Iraq’s medical system is a problem for citizens both young and old, and as the film progresses to a specific focus on The Medicins Sans Frotnieres/Doctors Without Borders organization, one can see the true crisis of the children. Front and center, The Medicins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders is shown aiding many children who have been separated from their parents and are now in treatment for burns, severe dismembering, body injuries, etc. Often the work needed for repair is so extensive that several operations are needed before a child is restored to normal, if ever.
The film’s shocking yet educational look at life outside of the United State’s seemingly ivy covered walls is of a magnitude that cannot be ignored. Ms. Obaid-Chinoy’s dedication and vision on this topic is unparalleled, and worthy of not only praise, but of all of our attention. For more information please visitMSF.org
***-nearly one and a half million refugees have been taken in bySyria and Jordan.
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is a regular correspondent for FRONTLINE/World and is based in Karachi.
Video editor: Charlotte Buchen.
I was 11 years old when Benazir Bhutto was elected Pakistan’s prime minister. It was a momentous occasion for many of us because her election signified that women could achieve whatever they wanted to in the country.
It is true that Pakistan, a Muslim country of more than 160 million people, has a rich history of women in politics. It is also true that many of them have found their way to power because their husbands or fathers or brothers were already in politics, which gave them access. Lately, that mindset has begun to change.
In January 2000, former President Pervez Musharraf initiated a series of local government reforms that allowed women to enter politics at a grassroots level. Nasreen Jalil, Karachi’s deputy Mayor feels that this step allowed women from different income levels to participate in government.
Sitting in her office in Karachi she tells me that the city council she presides over has 255 members, and 33 percent of them are women. “These women are from the lower-middle classes; they are not even well educated. But just the fact that they have been elected and sent to this forum, means that they are now part of the decision-making process and this will bring about a difference.”
Jalil is a good example. She doesn’t come from a political family, and when she joined the political party, Mohajir Quami Movement (MQM) 20 years ago, they didn’t even take her seriously. “My husband was accepted immediately because he was a man. I was taken casually and given menial jobs like making tea, or cleaning or photo-stating,” she says.
“My husband was accepted immediately because he was a man. I was taken casually and given menial jobs like making tea, or cleaning or photo-stating,” says Jalil.
Jalil worked hard to be recognized and eventually served as a senator in Pakistan. But she also admits that she is lucky — most women in the country are unable to enter politics because of family pressures or lack of opportunities. She believes it’s the same in the United States.
“The United States lacks strong female candidates because people probably don’t want them there. They are afraid of strong women all over the world,” she tells me. “Look at how they disregarded Hillary Clinton,” pointing to the fact that Barack Obama did not nominate her as his running mate.
In the past few weeks, local Pakistani newspapers have taken a keen interest in the upcoming U.S. elections, especially in Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Of course, part of that interest stems from her now infamous recent meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari, in which he not only remarked that she “looked gorgeous” but also made, what some here say, an inappropriate comment about wanting to hug her.
The Urdu language newspapers ran prominent accounts of the “embarrassing” incident, and television channels played romantic ballads over footage of the meeting. Pakistan’s late night comedy shows lampooned the president’s faux pas, and the outcome of the meeting enraged many women across the country.
“I think it is offensive that women have to be pretty and that counts for the majority of their popularity,” says Jalil. “Why don’t people comment on whether Mr. McCain is wearing the right kind of suit or about the color of his hair? “It was a mistake. I think the people of Pakistan felt humiliated.”
Pakistan’s late night comedy shows lampooned the president’s faux pas, and the outcome of the meeting enraged many women across the country.
President Zardari’s remarks are not new to Pakistan. A few weeks ago, a prominent English Language newspaper here published an article “Hotties in the House” listing the names of all the “good looking” politicians who are serving in the local and national parliament. Featured prominently on that list is Shazia Marri, who comes from a political family but only began her political career a few years ago. She is a member of the late Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party.
Marri became a child bride at the age of 14 and was divorced with a child by the time she was 16. That experience has made women’s rights issues a top priority for her. She is also also a beneficiary of Pakistan’s reserve seat quota for women, which guarantees a certain number of seats for women in local and national assemblies. Marri is now an information minister in the province of Sindh.
Pakistan politician, Shazia Marri.
When I walk into her office, she is surrounded by men, women and children who have come looking for her help. Although she is chiefly the government spokesperson and liaison to the media, she’s inundated daily with people who need jobs, health care, basic sanitation — the list goes on. Her can-do attitude has made her very popular with all walks of life.
While Marri compares her challenges to that of American women, she believes that Asian women have more political drive than their U.S. counterparts. She is not especially interested in whether Gov. Palin is elected vice president or not — to her she is just another person running for office. “I don’t think there should be any special allowance made for being a woman. She [Palin] has to have the potential and the mindset,” says Marri. “Becoming the vice president of one of the most powerful countries in the world is a tough job.”
On a recent Saturday evening West Chelsea’s Gana Art Gallery hosted a most powerful documentary on the plight of children in Iraq. Entitled Iraq The Lost Generation, the event is to benefit the non-profit Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders. Journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s The Lost Generation, currently being screened across the country from New York to San Francisco, is a riveting look at the results of war on the citizens of Iraq and in particular its children. Many casualties are children who are victims of bombings, instances with machetes and the like. The event which was sponsored by Zyr Vodka, Jo Malone, and Vai Restaurant was hosted by Justin Parks, Founder of the SCOTT PARKS ORGANIZATION, who came across the film this past summer and was drawn to share the film with others “In August I attended a screening at the New School. I was shocked and deeply saddened by the Iraqi refugee medial crisis, in particular the children that have been injured in the bombings that have to wait for reconstructive treatments. I felt compelled to sponsor a benefit screening so we could send funds to accelerate the heroic efforts of MSF.”
Beginning with the stories of Iraqi refugees *** who migrated to Syria and Jordan, Ms. Obaid Chinoy provides a first-hand account of their struggles. Ms. Obaid-Chinoy speaks first with adults–mostly middle class families whose head of households are much like those in the US. One man owns a mobile phone store, another a father of five owns several barber shops, and yet another holds a government position working with the US and the British as a translator. In each instance there is a current inability to work as they are now all refugees in new lands.
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is a regular correspondent for FRONTLINE/World and is based in Karachi.